The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1887-01-21
TIKI ORANGE HARVEST.
Methods sf Gathering Selecting, Sorting
and clicking the Lu~cious Fruit.

Methods eff Gathering. Selecting, sorttas
and ricking the Lsu-cious Fruit.
When che latter days of September
approach. the bizarre splendors OF the
rainy afternoon, which. for four months,
has irrigssed the grove, grow less fire.
auent. and with the soft. dry days Of
our autunlE we begin harvest; the early
obong or f'hornion's bell. the egg, and
the round sang pur Seeding begin to
ripen, and are ready for gathering.
A grove is not in bearing until its
trees average five hundred apples. so
the labor Of merely picking crop OF
oranges can be- understood. Nor is the
gatherer permitted to pluck the fruit.
Ii swings its tempting yellow among the
dark green lcaves and long, steely
thorns high among the tops and low
among the bending boughG. Tall step
ladders and light-weights are in de-
mand, for care must be taken not to
break the fruitful branches already
symptomatic of another year.
The fruit must be ''stem-cut." An
adrelt expert learns to clip the fruit.
holding it between the third and fourth
fingers and the shoulder of the thumb,
transferring it lightly to the pouch sus.
pended ut his neck. The musk of the
wind-shaken, crushed, thorn-pierced,
and fallen fruit. the pungent, aromatic
odors OF the leaves aud oil-glands load
the air with fragrance as the exhilara-
ting task proceeds.
A bright. dry day must be chosen. aa
moisture on the rind tends TO decay, and
In in,
one bruised orange may infect an en-
tire box or crate.
A brisk hand stem-cutting in n full
crop can average his three hundred by
the hour, or three thousand apples per
day. but this is not frequent. on account
of the cautious handling. The picker
transfers his sack or basket carefully to
the dryng-house, where the fruit is
spread out to dry. This sweating pro-
cess occupies three or more days. a
good drying-houso is arranged with
Slated shelves, that the air may pene-
trate to the interstices of the strips. A
light fire is of advantage, as II pro-
notes the drying, by which the rind be.
comes firmer, taking n crisp, horny
texture, protecting the pulp from bruis-
ing.
The next step is selecting. removing
all bruised, thorn-pricked, or injured
fruit into separate lots. This, which
should prccede arranging on drying
floors OF shelves, to avoid contact, il
followed by separating the rusty fruit
from the bright yellow. If this is care
fully done, selection may be made of
rusty fruit in which the bronze con-
1x kA 81
orange, like the bloom on q peach. As
the rust in no way impairs flavor or
iuiciness, n well-selected box of rust
fruit compares with the "brights."
Sorting is putting oranges of the same
diameter i'll separate heaps. The next
step is wrapping. A thin tissue paper
is used, cut into squares of twelve or
fourteen inches, the Florida sweet seed
ling averaging ten inches in circum-
ference; oblong. egg, mandarin being
smaller. Setting the fruit on the sheet
spread on the open palm, closing the
hand unites the corners for a twist oil
the right hand, and it is wrapped. The
fruit is packed in thin elastic boxes, Tx
12x27 outside measurement-the wrap.
ped orange is packed stem down--and.
of an average three-inch diameter, will
hold four rows of nine to the row, or
156. The usual continent of the south
Florida fruit, however, is 1913, packed
apple above apple, with paper division
to each layer.
The packing box is divided in the
middle, the ends and partition being OF
firm half-inch wood and the sides flex.
iblc. BY arranging the fruit different
ly, as is required in sizes exceeding OF
less than average diameter, space is
economical by alternating the rows to
fit the diverse and re-cntering curves.
A size running 176 can be set by al
ternate thrces and fours, and be so
packed.
The process is delicate. The packing
must be close. fitting with even pressure
without bruising, to bear the jarring OF
careless stevedores and 'longshorcmen,
who annually exasperate the cropper.
In fitting the box a layer Of paper Is put
Mt the bottom and one Tapped above
and below, SO that the fold, after the
successive layers are closely fitted, may
lap over and cover the top. This upper
row should rise not to exceed a quarter
of an inch above the box edging, that,
on mailing down the elastic top, the
spring of wood fiber in it may have a
firm, constant pressure, to resist jarring
and Observation-Disclosures BiUouac.